Ren Isana's homeroom teacher was a woman in her thirties — a little on the stocky side, with the kind of face that radiated quiet authority without trying to. Warm, but unmistakably not someone you'd want to test.
The moment she crossed the threshold, the class fell silent. She had that effect.
"No preamble. Fill out these forms, list your awakened talents, and we'll move straight to placement." She was already distributing forms to the front row as she spoke, gesturing for them to pass back.
Ren received his copy and scanned it while Rina-sensei continued.
"Take this seriously. Whatever path you choose today is the one you're walking for the rest of your life. Choose based on your talent — not on what sounds cool."
Once the forms were distributed, she'd provide guidance, and the school would handle the final placements. Two hours, maybe, before everyone was sitting in a new classroom.
Ren looked down at the paper.
Name: Ren Isana Gender: Male Student ID: xx9527 Awakened Talent: Yes ✓ Talent Information:Appears to be a variant of Learning Mystic Eyes. Since awakening, my comprehension has increased significantly — I can master most things after a single exposure, though I haven't undergone formal testing.Desired Major: Mage ✓ / Martial Artist ✓
He'd checked both boxes.
With a learning-type talent, studying both paths made perfect logical sense, right? Let the school figure out the rest.
The talent description was deliberately vague — just enough to be credible, nowhere near enough to show the real depth of things. What I wrote doesn't even scratch the surface of what Jianjigu can actually do, he thought. Replicating physical constitutions, copying innate traits — none of that makes the list. That stays in the vault.
A "powerful learning talent" was more than enough to secure whatever resources and support he needed from the school. He didn't need to give them anything more.
He got up and joined the small cluster of students already heading to the podium.
Rina-sensei took his form and glanced at it the way teachers do — out of habit, half their attention elsewhere.
Then she went completely still.
"Ren. Wait a moment."
The room's attention snapped to him.
He stopped. Is she going to test me right here? "Yes, Teacher?"
She set the form on the podium and pointed to his talent section. "Is this accurate?"
Her eyes were sharp — looking for the slightest waver, the faintest trace of exaggeration.
If it was real, it was extraordinary. A learning-type talent was essentially a golden pass to any path. No grinding through basics, no months of rote repetition — just see it and know it.
"Yes. I've already tried it out," Ren said, holding her gaze.
She studied him for a long moment. No tells. No nervous habits.
"Then this is incredible." Her voice had shifted — faster, almost breathless. "You could succeed on any path you chose. I'm taking this to Director Ken immediately."
The implication was obvious: the school was going to pour resources into him. Which department he ended up in wasn't even a question anymore.
Dual cultivation — both Magic Power and True Qi — was rare and difficult. For someone with a talent like Ren's, not pursuing both paths would be a criminal waste. The Special Class Director Ken had been discussing for months… this was the catalyst.
She told Ren to return to his seat, handed the class representative a stack of remaining forms, and left at a pace that was barely distinguishable from running.
Stunned silence held the room for about two seconds.
Then thirty pairs of eyes turned to Ren.
The student in front of him spun around immediately. "Bro, what's your talent? You literally broke Rina-sensei's brain."
"Learning type," Ren said, keeping it simple. No point in being coy — the school would announce it anyway. "I can pick up most things after seeing them once."
The reaction was immediate and satisfying.
"Learning type?! That's insane!" His classmate's jaw dropped. "That's basically a cheat code for school! No wonder she lost her mind!"
A wave of envy rolled through the room. The girls in particular started paying considerably more attention to Ren. A learning talent in a combat-oriented world? That was the rarest kind of future potential — the kind you might want to stay close to.
The only sad note in the room was that class sorting was about to happen. After today, most of them probably wouldn't see him again.